Message in a Bottle
by Jyo-Chan
Summary: Whenever it gets full, and he can’t write anymore, he’d let it go and watch it float away. His hopes, his dreams, everything he’s ever wanted and ever need. Axel x Roxas. -Valentine’s Day Dedication-


Whenever it gets full, and he can't write anymore, he'd let it go and watch it float away. His hopes, his dreams, everything he's ever wanted and ever need. Axel x Roxas. -Valentine's Day Dedication-

It's Valentine's day! And no, this isn't some sorta gooey, gooey gum drops sorta story, but I hope that doesn't deter you from reading on.

I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!

**Disclaimer** - I wish; I really, really, really do. But alas, I don't.

* * *

_He was waiting, always waiting; for someone, something, anything…_

* * *

It wasn't known when he had started the habit, but ever since he had started it, he hadn't really bothered to stop. It was something he needed to do, and whenever he did it, he felt just that little bit better about himself, more or less depending on his mood.

Everyday, for who knows how long since then, he had been writing notes onto a long strip of paper, the length always varying whenever he used a new one.

The words never differed; it always stayed the same, except for his handwriting. Sometimes they were messy, barely readable, almost like chicken scratch as some had claimed it to look like, while others look like calligraphy. Those are usually the ones he liked the best, and always paid better attention when folding them.

The small scrap of paper, the ones that he always wrote his words on, they were always folded, to the shape of a star, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and then tucked away into an ordinary glass bottle.

Whenever it got full, and he can't fit anymore in, he would look around for a cork, the ones he would often take from his place of work since there was usually no more need for them once the bottle of wine was opened, and then plug it up, tight enough that it'll be a feat to open again.

He never opened it once he closed it up, there was no need to; he knew what was on each and every little star inside.

His hopes, his dreams, everything he's ever wanted and ever need.

He'd keep the bottle in his room, on top of his desk, stare at it for hours on end while listening to his music which varied from soft classical music, metal, rock, punk, love songs, breakup songs, random songs that didn't make any sense, the odd jazz and whatever took his fancy.

But once he was done with the staring, because it wasn't going to go anywhere and he was itching to write down some more and fill up another bottle, he'd head over to a nearby beach and watch the sunset, his shoes and socks lying off to the side somewhere behind him and his trousers rolled up just above his knees, his toes tickled by the coming waves.

It was beautiful, this time of day, the quiet stillness, almost as if the entire world was watching the sunset with him and didn't want to break the silence.

In his hand, he held the bottle, and soon, with the sun halfway down to slumber, he'd quietly wade his way into the cold waters, the ocean just short of his knees and with one last look down at the bottle in his hands, he'd quietly slip it into the rolling waves and push it along its way.

He always felt something tug at his insides whenever he let go of it, feeling almost as though he was losing a tiny piece of himself with the words inside.

He would stay in the waters and watch it bob up and down before it became nothing but a tiny speck in the ocean.

Once he was more or less satisfied, he'd then return back to shore, dragging his soles behind him, feeling the pull of the ocean at his feet, his shoulders still burdened, his spirits down.

His hopes and dreams and everything he's ever wanted and ever need, washed away with the rolling waves. Like footprints in the sand.

* * *

_Maybe he was waiting for some clarity in his life, for some sense of closure perhaps. But he didn't know why he stood at the very edge of the world, waiting for something that might not even happen, for someone that might not even come…_

* * *

As he stared at the star stuck in between his thumb and forefinger, he could see the etchings of the words hiding beneath.

From a single glance, no one would be able to tell, no one would be able to understand what's within, but once you find the right spot to pull, it completely unravels and the message is revealed for all to see and read.

He sighed, closed his eyes in contemplation and allowed his hand to hover the star above the bottle before letting out a random sniff of his nose. He drew in a breath, opened his eyes, and slowly exhaled before letting go and letting it tumble down the tube and plop onto the bottom of the bottle, the first of many to come.

He brought up a hand to scratch the side of his head and pondered whether he should write something different, but considering it now, he wasn't in the mood for anything unfamiliar, so he continued to write the same words, with the only variance of his handwriting which seemed to either get messier and messier or neater with each new sentence.

Soon, without realizing, the new bottle was now half-filled with stars and his day off was spent locked in his apartment room, away from the world.

_-I'm tired of being all alone.-_

"Hello, Axel speaking." he spoke into the phone, his head inclined towards his shoulder where the device was nudged in between.

"_Yo Axel, I'm hungry, wanna grab a bite to eat?"_ a familiar voice asked from the other side.

The red head was only half listening, "Uhhh…" and he almost lost track of the words he was writing down, "Not really..."

"_Aww come on,"_ the other whined, _"We haven't hung out in ages!"_

"Demyx." he started, his voice firm, "I'm sorta busy."

Doing what? Absolutely nothing, except writing down on scraps of paper.

"_But--I--I mean we, we haven't really hung out in ages."_

He could tell from the tone of voice that Demyx sounded like he was sad, down, as though he was losing somebody he held dear and close to his heart. Which was not true, because the last time he saw Demyx was about a week or so ago.

Or at least he thought it was about a week or so ago…

Could've been more.

"_But I mean, if you're busy, then sure, maybe some other time?"_ he finished uncertainly.

Axel brought up a hand to the crook of his nose and exhaled softly. He didn't know when he started choosing bottles and stars over his friends; didn't know when he preferred seclusion and solitary moments than socializing and being with company.

So with a withering will to continue on being firm, he merely sighed instead, "Ok fine, where at?"

Seeing Demyx again might prove to be interesting.

He hadn't exactly gone out to see anybody in a while, save for the people at work and his neighbors within the apartment complex. A part of him felt guilty for avoiding his friends, although it was never really on purpose. He just got caught up with work and life overall.

"_Sweet."_ the other cheered and let out a whoop of delight, _"I'm in the mood for Italian, what about you?"_

"Italian's fine." so long as it's the good, fresh pasta and not those store-bought frozen ones.

After talking about where to go, what time to meet and maybe plans to do something again later, the red head hung up and continued to do what he had been doing prior to the phone call for another half an hour or so before getting up to get ready with meeting up with Demyx and his other friends.

Absentmindedly, he wondered when was the last time he had actually hung out with all of them at the same time. He recalled something at some place or whatever that happened about a month or so ago. But he couldn't really be sure. It might've been over a month ago…

_-Stripped and polish; I am new, I am fresh.-_

At first, he didn't know what it was, but after a quick look around his room, with a semi-wet towel hanging around his shoulders and another one around his waist, he spotted the light from his phone go on and off as the song continued on.

"Hello?" he huffed just a bit.

"_Bro, where ya at?"_

Inwardly, he cursed as he looked around for a time before remembering about his mobile, "Uhh, sorry, got caught up." he offered as an excuse and noticed that he was more or less ten minutes late. "Gimme a sec, I'll be there in a few."

"_Ok, ok. Thought you ditched all of us back there."_ the other laughed, _"A'ight, see you in a bit?"_

"Yeah, in a bit." he then promptly hung up and made a bit of a fuss deciding what to wear. He hardly ever went out much, only for work and even then, all he had to wear was his white business shirt, his black vest, black trousers and his shiny leather shoes.

Whenever he went out grocery shopping, which was just a block down the road from his apartment complex, all he ever bothered was his home clothes which only consisted of a random pair of three quarter pants, a faded t-shirt and an oversized jacket.

But within minutes, and a quick selection of clothes, he managed to prep himself up good and ready to go and he was out of his apartment door, his heart racing, wondering of things to come.

* * *

_How would he know that he's not going around in circles? What if the person he's looking for is doing the exact same time and all they're doing is completely missing each other or maybe even going the opposite directions?_

_But even knowing that, he still wanted to continue on searching; because he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait…_

* * *

"And then he said, he said, ah shit, I forgot what he said, but it was damn funny." he laughed just to prove his point.

Despite the awkwardness of it all, he found himself laughing as well, despite the fact it wasn't really that funny to begin with.

"Yeah, that's all that's been happenin' with me an' work." Demyx finished off with a shrug as he picked up his soda and slurp the rest of it up through the straw. "How's about y'all?"

"Man, what's with you and that stupid accent." Xigbar finally piped up as he pulled at his hair with an air of frustration. Some might've even thought he got those white hairs from the dirty haired blond.

"Demyx has been listening to some country music." the slate haired boy spoke as he took a sip from his glass of water.

"_Some_? You've gotta be shitting me." he let out an aggravated sigh and picked up his bottle of booze, "With the way he's been going, I'd say it's a lot."

Demyx merely grinned, neither affirming nor denying that he has been, in fact, listening to country music. But he shortly turned his attention to Axel, the one who's been remaining more or less quiet since the night had started, "What's been happenin' with you?"

The red head shrugged, "The same as ever." Work was work, how exciting can it even get?

He got in, did his job, then left.

He sighed.

"Haven't you been saying that you wanted to leave?" the blue haired boy started as he turned his golden eyes towards green.

Again, he shrugged, not entirely liking how this conversation suddenly turned into an interrogation with all eyes on him, "To where? Hell if I even know anymore." he spoke as he scratched the back of his head, his eyes veered off somewhere.

"Destiny Islands, wasn't it?" Zexion spoke, "You mentioned it a few times back in high school."

That was years ago though, when they were all still more or less naïve about the inner workings of the real world.

"Well yeah, but--" he found himself lost for words.

He _had_ been planning on leaving. That's why as soon as he had graduated from high school, he went and got himself a summer job, so he could save money with the intention of leaving one day. But then college got in the way, and so did work, and so did life overall.

There wasn't any more time.

And suddenly, he found himself unable to leave, chained to the place he hadn't really thought of home since both of his parents die in an accident half way into his sophomore year at college.

Then something landed on his shoulder, warm and comforting, "If you want to go, you should. Nothing's holding you back right?" the dirty haired blond encouraged.

Axel found himself sighing. In defeat. Here he was fighting for his way of life, his friends encouraging him, and he was losing at it because he never really learnt about all the rules.

"No," Saïx answered for the red head and snapped his book shut, "But I suppose it's the unfamiliar surroundings of a new place that's scaring him into submission." he then turned to the red head and stared into a faltering green, "Staying even thought it's not what you want."

He let out a growl of sort and suddenly remembered why he never made a point to meeting up with his friends regularly. It was always because _this_ would always happen. They would interrogate him, talk to him, make him feel bad, force him to choose; something he's probably always wanted but was always much too afraid to take.

There was nothing holding him back. The only thing that was holding him back was himself. And he didn't really know why.

He sighed, tiredly, and ran his fingers through his hair, still a little damp at the very roots from that shower that he took an hour prior, "Thanks, really…thanks." his tone didn't hold a speck of gratitude though, "I just remembered that I have something I need to do. So I'm gonna go." he spoke as he got up from his seat.

"Axel." Demyx started, "We're just trying--"

"Stop telling me how to live my life." he snapped, half-heartedly at first, "If I feel like doing something, I'll do it." he felt just a tad bit guilty at the wince he caught from the other; his best friend, "If I don't feel like doing anything, if I don't feel like moving on, then let me live out this sad, decrepit life on my own, got it?"

"But--"

"Just leave him Demyx." the slate haired boy spoke with an even voice, his eyes turned away from the red head, probably too angry to look directly at the other. "If he doesn't want help, leave him."

With an air of dejection, the dirty haired blond obeyed, his eyes low with depression, and slowly sunk back into his seat.

With furious green eyes, he stared at his friends with defiance. A part of him felt guilty, truly, he did, but he was too frustrated to care anymore.

He left the café, the one they decided to go hang around after they've had something to eat at some Italian restaurant some blocks away.

The food was good, the company was better, and then it all went downhill after all conversations turned towards him.

As he walked, the gears in his mind turning and twisting, he fumed outwardly, scaring some people to clearing a path for him to wreck havoc on. He was aggravated, more than a little upset; at himself and his friends. He was certain he'd regret what he did, and said, later on back in his apartment. But for now, he'd milk it; all his frustrations, his dissatisfaction, at himself and at everyone else, until it ran dry.

Then he'd go back to his friends, dejected and beyond sorry, and ask for forgiveness, even they they've already forgiven him long before he cooled down.

Soon, he came across the park; his mood no longer angry but now filled with regret and depression.

He hated his life; the way it was going for him, but the way he was living now was his own doing and nobody else's; he had nobody to blame but himself. His friends were only trying to help, but he was stubborn and needed to get thwarted and pushed to the ground with his arm to the back before he gave into taking any.

He slowly slouched to the ground and held his head between his hands in shame as he let out a groan of defeat, unaware of the looks from the many people passing by that were giving him.

It didn't take him very long, it never usually did, but eventually he turned around, back towards the café he stormed from, with his tail between his legs; a miserable sight for many to see.

Soon, he was back in front of the café (to the side of the café more like) and from the corner of his eye, he could still see his friends inside, still talking and conversing on as though there was never any disturbance in the rifts between them. The only one that always looked the least bit troubled was Demyx, but that was only because he was fairly tuned to his emotions and always wore it on his sleeves.

With a heavy and worn sigh, he gathered up his wits and courage and stepped in through the front door, the chime above sang out his entry.

The conversation stopped and all eyes were turned on him for a split second before they turned away again.

The red head felt somebody backhand him one to the face and he couldn't help but wince as he anxiously stepped towards the table.

He stopped, just over an arm's length away from where his friends were.

With an awkward shuffle of his feet, and a careful avoidance of the eyes from his friends, he quietly muttered out for their ears and their ears only to hear, "…Sorry…" he only chanced a look when he saw movement from their direction.

It was Zexion. Taking a look at his wrist-watch.

"Took you eight minutes to come back to your senses."

Axel felt his mouth hang open as he stared at the slate haired boy, "You counted?"

He smiled, smirked more like, "Of course."

"Ass." he muttered out.

"Prick." he countered.

"Sit your ass down." someone else gruffed out and the red head didn't need to be told twice as he sat down in his previous seat, a small way's away from the actual table. Close enough to be considered included, but not completely.

Nobody spoke, nobody moved away; so the red head assumed that everything was more or less ok between him and all of his friends.

After all, it shouldn't take one small argument to create a huge fallout among him and his friends. Right?

He coughed into his hand, his head faced elsewhere, "I really am, by the way." he spoke as he scratched the side of his head, his eyes still carefully avoiding everyone else's.

A scoff, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, just drink your sissy latte and be done with it." Xigbar huffed as he took another swig of his own drink all the while leaning over, grabbing one of the legs of the red head's chair and dragging him closer to the table.

Axel knew he wasn't that heavy to begin with, but having the one-eyed man pull him like he was dead-weight made his ego shrink just a tad bit more.

"Thanks…" he muttered out with a slight pout, picked up his now-lukewarm coffee and took a sip of it before blanching, "Blegh, who the fuck put salt in my coffee?!" he cried out as he held the drink away.

Demyx snickered behind a hand.

Axel smirked and wondered if that was the dirty haired blonds' way of getting pay back at him for being such a jerk. And if that was the case, he'd gladly drink it all up if it was the only way to make up for his sad behavior.

"Ewww." Demyx made a disgusted face, "You--blegh--ewww man, just eww."

* * *

_With a bottle clutched in his hand in his messenger bag, he walked on, his lips whispering, his words unmoving._

_Sometimes, when he finds himself looking up at the dark night sky, he'd reach inside and finger a star, and a whisper of words would escape his mouth and linger in the air in front of him._

* * *

"So, Margarita's?"

"Demyx, it's Wednesday."

"Exactly." he clicked his tongue and sent a wink toward Zexion's way who merely shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Eh, count me out." the man with the twin-colored hair spoke, "I've got an early shift tomorrow and I don't wanna go in shit-faced."

The dirty haired blond sighed his defeat, "Fine." and then quickly turned his attention towards the blue haired other, "What about--"

"You know I prefer not to drink."

Demyx pouted and slowly turned his puppy-dog eyes towards the red head, "Axel?"

"Uhh…" he considered his options all the while carefully avoiding the kicked-puppy look that not many were able to resist, either because it was too darn cute or just too damn pathetic…

He had an early shift at the café tomorrow, and if he went to work with a hangover or even worse, late, he might end up putting a black mark on his record. But he had been working for them for over a year now and he'd remained fairly loyal. He had never been to work late, always preferring to be punctual, and if there was ever a day he'd never make it in time, he'd always ring, and if there was ever a shift he couldn't cover, then he'd make sure to tell his boss a day in advance.

Too bad his other co-workers didn't practice the same work ethics.

Axel was considered a loyal employee and trustworthy, one of the longest working employee for the whole business. And because of that, his boss always tried to push him to take the manager's position since the red head was more than capable of doing it, but Axel always refused. Not because he didn't think he wouldn't be able to handle it, it was just sometimes, he hated the pressure and the stress that came with the title.

So he always declined the offer.

Speaking of which, he had a feeling his boss would bring that up again tomorrow during work.

"So?" Demyx started, looking hopeful.

In the end, Axel merely shrugged, "Eh, one time wouldn't hurt." He'd just have to think of a damn good excuse, but then again, his boss was fairly biased towards him, so it was all good.

"Awesome!" the dirty haired blond punched the air and started the way towards the aforementioned place; Margarita's.

But they didn't get too far before Saïx said something about going home, to which Demyx began whining and complaining that it wasn't fair and that it's been ages since they've all hung out together.

But the red head stopped listening halfway into the whine-fest; his ears picked up on something else.

It was a faint rush of words, barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for Axel to completely lose his breath and he swore his heart stopped.

He felt his body freeze over, go rigid, his eyes widened, his lips unmoving but the wheels and gears in his mind were working up a sweat.

He knew those words, and he knew exactly what they meant. Suddenly, he felt himself overcome with adrenaline.

Ignoring the confused and worried sounds from his friends, he turned tail and ran; the complete opposite direction of where they had been planning to go on.

He could still hear them, all of them calling out to him, but they weren't important, not now, not them.

He could see his breath form with each step he raced down the footpath, he could hear his shoes slam across the pavement as he moved. He was able to swiftly avoid any collisions as he ran, he even surprised himself just a little bit because he was known to be a little clumsy at times.

As he ran, he couldn't stop thinking; 'They can't be too far off.' There was absolutely no way for anybody to suddenly disappear into thin air or walk a thousand miles in a little less than five seconds.

He didn't have to go very far, but it wasn't just that; he had absolutely no idea who it was that murmured those words. Those words he so desperately wanted to hear again and again.

After so long he had spent writing those words down onto paper only to fold them into stars and let them go, he can finally hear them, from the lips of someone else; not his own.

He halted, the soles of his shoes grinded against the pavement floor an inch and he searched around with wide green eyes.

There was an elderly lady coming towards him, with a grocery bag in hand; it couldn't be her.

There was a couple, just a few steps away from him, walking the same direction he had been running in, but they were laughing and they were together; it couldn't be either of them.

Then, in the gaps between the elderly woman and the couple, he saw them; him more like, or maybe a girl with very short blonde hair.

He wasn't certain, but there was something in the way his heart tugged that he immediately knew it was him.

He started running again, with renewed vigor, but it didn't take him very long before he caught up to the blond and stopped barely an inch away from the other, his voice urgent, "What did you say?" he asked, completely out of breath as he desperately held onto the shoulders of the person in front of him, "What did you just say?" he asked again and fought to regain back his stolen breath.

The shock and surprise that had been so plainly visible for all to see were soon gone from the other's face now, replaced with anger and something else, "Excuse me?"

He swallowed and tried again, more slowly "Just now, you said something,--you sang something. What was it?"

"Excuse me??" the person said again, this time a little more confused than angry, maybe even just a little petrified.

His hopes started to deflate; maybe he accidentally got the wrong person, or his ears had been playing a trick on him, making him hear things that he had been wishing and waiting to hear for who knows how long.

He didn't even really know why. He didn't know he had been waiting for those words; the same words that he had been writing down onto pieces of papers which later turned into starts which would eventually float away with the going tide.

Axel sighed, felt his spirits sink down along with his head, "Sorry." he murmured out an apology as he let go of the other, "I thought you said something--I mean uh…" he scratched his head and hoped he didn't come off as insanely crazy, "Yeah, sorry. My bad."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you want to know? What I said…" he looked calm, curious even, and the red head suddenly felt as though his words were stuck in his throat, and as he tried to push them out, he accidentally coughed

He turned his head away as he coughed, out of politeness but his eyes remained fixed on blue, "Uh…"

Good question; why _did_ he want to know?

Maybe it had been a sign, something he had been waiting for, something he had been looking for but never found.

So in the end, he merely shrugged and turned away awkwardly, "I don't know." he replied honestly, "Maybe what you said…it was something I've been waiting to hear." for some reason, it didn't come out as nicely as it sounded in his head. He almost hated himself.

When his green eyes turned back to blue, he found himself feeling a little surprised. The blond didn't look as put off as he thought the other would've been. If anything, the blond just looked that bit much more curious, and maybe even intrigued.

Axel was just about to apologize again, and maybe walk the same way he came so he could meet up with his friends and drink the rest of the night away, or just go back to his apartment and sulk the rest of the night, writing words on stars and washing them away.

But the blond spoke, "Do you still want to know?"

"Hm?" he was pleasantly caught off guard.

"What I said."

His heart skipped a beat again but slowly, he found himself nodding.

Blue eyes averted for a second before finding green again, and Axel found himself lost and trapped, wishing and hoping and dreaming.

For everything he's ever wanted, and ever need.

The blond seemed a little embarrassed, but now that he had mentioned it, he didn't want to suddenly change his mind and take it back. So he sucked in a quiet breath and murmured out, "I was born…to tell you I love you…"

Something pulled at his heart, and at his lips, and suddenly his fingers were digging and gripping onto the sleeves of the other's jacket and he suddenly felt desperate.

"It _was_ you! It was you all along!" he couldn't help but smile broadly at that, his fingers holding onto the blond for dear life.

The blond drew his head back just a bit, just to preserve his personal bubble, even though it had already been popped several times in the last five minutes.

And the red head suddenly realized what he was doing, and he caught the looks from a few people that were passing by. He was certain a few of them contemplated calling up the police for harassment.

He turned his head and coughed again, all the while straightening up and letting go of the blond, "Sorry." he wondered how desperate he seemed to the other because of his random appearance and even more random outbursts.

"That's ok." it sounded more like a question though.

Axel coughed again, his head still turned away but his eyes fixed on blue, "So um, where were you heading?" the red head asked, just feeling a tad bit awkward.

The blond looked thoughtful for a second but was quick to remember what he had been doing prior to his unexpected meeting with the frantic red head, "Nowhere; I was just walking."

"Oh, I see." he shuffled his weight from one foot to another, "Do you…uhh…" he shuffled his weight from one foot to another, feeling awkward and embarrassed, "Want to…go to that coffee shop just a bit down the road?" he finished quickly, eager to just get it out, over and done with.

Blond eyebrows rose, just a fraction, but the whole face continued to remain neutral, "Sure."

The red head felt his heart lift, almost soar, and soon, he found himself walking side by side with the blond, his mind curious about the other.

"What's your name by the way?"

"Roxas, R-O-X-A-S."

The red head nodded and approved the need to spell the name, "Axel. A-X-E-L, not the car part." he added with a sheepish grin.

The blond, Roxas, laughed.

And together, they went back towards the café to get a cup of coffee, no salt included.

* * *

_As he gathered the stars in his hands, he couldn't help but suddenly feel ambitious. There was a part of him that felt skeptical; as always, but there was that other part that was suddenly starting to believe._

_Maybe making wishes upon floating stars can come true after all._

_This one seemed to have…_

* * *

"What did you say?"

"Destiny Island."

He felt his breath caught in his throat, but he managed to push his words out, "I see." maybe now, he'd have incentive to leave and go there, "Just visiting I'm assuming?"

A nod, "Just for a couple of weeks. I have a relative that lives here."

"I see…" and just as he lifted his warm coffee cup from the table, he noticed something about the other, "What's wrong with your hand?"

Blue eyes looked up for a fraction of a second before looking back down again, "Nothing." it sounded like a question again.

"You sure?" he was curious as to why the blond always kept it within the messenger bag, never once taking it out.

Roxas fidgeted in his seat just a little before he slowly took out his hand, closed to a loose fist, and placed it in the middle of the round table.

Axel watched, his breath stuck, his heart racing.

Then the hand came away and in the center of the table was a star, with dark etchings on the inside.

His heart stopped at he stared at the star and wondered how long it had been since he had last seen it. Was it from the last bottle he sent out? Or was it from a few bottles previously?

It was odd, it gave him a sense of happiness, to be finally reunited with something he had once let go of before.

Tentatively, Axel's fingers reached towards the lone star in the center of the table and he picked it up. He stared at it, all the while twisting it and turning it between his fingers, a small smile on his face.

"Do you want to know what's inside it?" Roxas asked.

The red head let out a small hum as he continued to smile and shook his head, "I don't need to know what's inside it," he spoke as he looked up into eyes of blue, "Because I already do."

Blue eyes seem to widen in understanding before turning away, down towards the messenger bag by his side.

It didn't take him long before he pulled out a familiar bottle and a handful of stars.

Axel felt his heart soar as he stared down at the all too familiar sight. It reminded him of his bedroom where there was still half a bottle of stars and strips of paper waiting to be written and folded.

He wondered if this was destiny calling him.

With a quiet breath, he asked; "Stay with me tonight?"

* * *

_If you love something, let it go. If it loves you just as much, it will return._

* * *

Ah, I didn't expect this to be too long, it sort of came out of a random whim while I was at work, but it turned out to be long anyway…

I used to do what Axel did, except that I didn't write on them, and I didn't toss the bottle out to sea. I filled up a whole bottle once…Long story; I don't really wanna go into it.

Happy Valentine 's Day to all of you!

Oh, and P.S - some café's I know actually _do_ sell booze. Just wanted to let you guys know before you sent me a note about it.

(Although it could've been a bad thing for my part, since that means less feedback and even less curious reviews. Hehe…)


End file.
